


Down That Old Memory Road

by ShadeNeverMadeAnybodyLessGay



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Annabeth Chase-centric (Percy Jackson), Annabeth chase backstory, Everyone Needs A Hug, Hurt/Comfort, Past Abuse, Protective Percy Jackson, annabeth chase needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28391172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadeNeverMadeAnybodyLessGay/pseuds/ShadeNeverMadeAnybodyLessGay
Summary: After the Argo II arrives to Camp Jupiter and Percy and his new friends joins them, they end up in an island with a monster that seem way too interested in destroying Annabeth, but not exactly physically.Or the one where Annabeth gets a proper backstory."Why keep fighting for a world that doesn't want you in it?"
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Jason Grace & Percy J. & Hazel Levesque & Piper McLean & Leo Valdez & Frank Zhang, Annabeth Chase & Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan & Annabeth Chase, Luke Castellan & Annabeth Chase & Thalia Grace
Comments: 9
Kudos: 66





	Down That Old Memory Road

"I can't believe we're straddled," moaned Percy, angry. "The waters don't listen to me."

"And it's so windy it will knock out the boat in just a few minutes," added Jason.

"That's not good," Annabeth took a long breath as she examinated the grounds in front of them.

"Maybe the gods want us to take a look around the place?" suggested Hazel.

Percy and Annabeth snorted in sync. "Of course they'd want that," murmured the boy.

They waited for Leo as he checked the engineers. When he said there was nothing wrong with the boat, they collectively groaned and grabbed their weapons, descending the boat and approaching the island.

They walked around for half an hour, divided in two different groups that went opposite sides. Vegetation grew everywhere they looked at, but no animal was in sight.

"Well, if we don't find a secret passageway that will lead us to a crazy room filled with monsters in like" Percy took a look at his wrist, as if he was checking the time, "five minutes, I say we go back to the boat and see what we can do to move that thing out of here."

The east group, which was formed by Percy, Annabeth, Piper and Hazel, dediced being back in the boat was better than staying under the suffocating sunlight for another minute. When they went back to the starting point, they saw the west group (Jason, Frank and Leo) was already there, waiting for them.

"We didn't found a thing, only plants," said Jason, getting up from his sitting position.

When they were all up and ready to go back, a chilling scream silenced them all.

"Where did that come from?" Percy asked, getting Riptide out of his pocket.

"I think in front of us," replied Leo.

"Oh, this is so a trap," said Annabeth with her dagger already on her hand. Her hand slipped and she subconsciously searched for her hat, but she quickly dropped the hand when she remembered -it didn't work anymore, it wasn't _there_ anymore.

"Definitely," agreed Piper.

"And we're still going in, uh?" Jason almost looked like he was going to start laughing any second.

"Definitely," replied everyone.

* * *

"I don't see a thing," complained Leo for the forth time in five minutes. Jason hushed him.

"That's a good thing, Leo," said Annabeth, in her matter-of-factly voice.

The boy rolled his eyes.

"You're _so stupid_ ," replied Annabeth.

"Hey, that was unnecessary!" Leo turned around to face the girl, only to be greet with a look of confusion.

"It wasn't me," she yelled back.

"That's right, it was me," a voice that sounded just like Annabeth's, but colder said between them. Quickly they all turned around, trying to see who was there.

"That was creepy," murmured Piper.

"Your face is creepy," replied the voice. Piper turned around again, this time to face Annabeth.

"If this is a joke, Annabeth-"

"As if your poor brain could understand a joke," a chill went down the brunette's spine when she heard a voice that so clearly belonged to the blonde but her lips didn't move once.

"Okay, _enough_ ," said Annabeth, trying to go through all the monsters she knew.

"Is that a cyclops?" asked Percy.

"No, they aren't smart enough to come up with those comebacks," mussed Annabeth, trying to think as fast as she could.

"Think all you want, daughter of broken vows, but you won't find me in that little brain of yours."

If it felt weird to hear the daughter of Athena's voice without it being really hers for the others, it felt twice as weird to Annabeth.

"Oh, your brain is full of really interesting things, my dear."

Percy stepped in front of his girlfriend. "Enough! Leave Annabeth alone."

"Oh, how sweet. I wonder how long it will take him to leave like everyone else does, _Annie_."

"Don't call me that," she said through gritted teeth.

The voice laughed just like Annabeth, if she was a psychopath who enjoyed playing with people's feelings. "I know why you hate it so much."

"Shut up already!" everyone took a step back, not being used to the girl being anything other than rational.

The voice laughed again, though it sounded distortionsionated. "Aw, what's the matter, Annie?"

"I swear if you say that name again-"

A girl with brown eyes, dark hair and taned skin appeared in front of them, as if she was a vision. She was wearing leather clothes, and the look in her eyes was almost fatal.

"Well, well, look what we have here," she walked straight past everyone until she was standing in front if Annabeth. They were about the same height, though the mysterious girl looked skinnier than the blonde, but definitely not in a healthy way.

The girl raised a hand and touched the blonde's cheek, faking a pout.

"Who..."

"You can feel it, uh?" she smiled, stepping away. "The hate you feel just by looking at me. So powerful you can barely move."

Annabeth held thigh onto her dagger. Everyone else was trying to move, but they couldn't even move a finger.

"Why?"

"Because we're natural enemies," she dropped her hand and walked away, and suddenly everyone could move again. "You're a smart girl, Chase. Tell me, would you know who I am if I tell you my parents are Mnemosyne and Enceladus?"

Annabeth took half a step back, pretending she was thinking about something she already knew. "That's impossible."

The girl laughed, so cold the air started to feel dense with negative feelings. "Oh, but it is. My name is Katamyaló, but you don't have to introduce yourself, I already know everything there is to know about you, Annie."

"What is she talking about, Annabeth?" Percy finally asked, still unable to move completely.

"Apparently she's daughter of Mnemosyne, one of Hera's kids; a titan. She could read minds and manipulate people. And Enceladus..."

Piper finally understood. "He was also a titan. Athena's traditional opponent. That's why she said-"

"Enough, McLean," the mentioned girl shut her mouth instantly. "I'm trying to revenge my parents, you see. I can't with you people bothering."

Annabeth raised her dagger, getting ready for the incoming fight. "Okay then."

The girl -Katamyaló laughed. "You think I'm stupid, Annabeth? I know you're excellent with physical fights. I'm not going to throw myself into a losing battle, especially not against the cursed blade."

The blonde took a look at her weapon, a thought she so hard tried to forget came right back into her mind. Katamyaló nodded, like she was expecting that reaction.

"Why can't we move?" Hazel managed to let out, struggling against what looked like invisible ropes.

"Oh, shut up. Grown ups are having a conversation."

"She's obviously holding you back," answered Annabeth. She needed to come up with a plan. "You should be a titan."

"And the big three shouldn't have more kids, but look, two are standing right here," she moved her hands and pointed at them. "I was supposed to, though I never got to. Zeus took almost all my powers and Athena threw me into this cursed island."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. _Of course_ Athena had something to do with all this.

"What do you want to do, then?" she asked, letting the anger start to take over. "See who wins in a chess game?"

Katamyaló's laugh was starting to really annoy her. "Oh, no. Would love to, but no. I think you already know what my name means, don't you?"

"Yes," she said. "Destruction of the mind."

"Join the dots, Annie."

"Enough," she raised her dagger and threw it right into the girl. She moved out the way a few seconds before it could hit her.

"Oh, I thought you were smarter than that."

"Shut the fuck up!" she got a small knife from her back pocket and threw it, though it ended just like the other.

"Calm down, Annabeth," though Percy was trying to help, it only infuriated her more.

" _Calm down_? With this bitch around I can barely think, Percy!" she snapped, turning around to face the boy.

"Love. How... sweet," she walked closer to them. "How about we take a quick look around your memories? I bet they're dying to know why you're so... You."

"Don't you dare," she whispered, starting to charge against the girl but fell into the ground, screaming and holding her head.

Annabeth vision was starting to become whiter, like she had walked out of a dark room. Suddenly, she wasn't lying on the floor, she was seeing herself as a baby, not older than a day or two, in her mother's arms. Blonde hair could be already seen in her tiny head, though what caught her attention was her eyes, so big and grey she finally understood why people always said they were stormy and full of deepness.

"I don't want her, Athena," a younger version of her father was standing by the door of a small apartment. The door was half closed and she could made out their faces just from the light coming from inside the house. "Take her back, get rid of her- I don't want her with me."

Athena frowned her eyebrows. "This is a gift, Frederick. A reminder of our love."

"I don't care," the voice brought back so many memories Annabeth couldn't handle it. "I- Listen, she can't stay here. Take her with you, I bet she will do well in Olympus."

"Demigods must live with their mortal parents," her voice sounded like an statement, full with command.

"I don't freaking care!" he closed the door completely. "I don't need- I don't want anything to do with you or- or that _thing_."

Annabeth pretended her heart didn't break after hearing her father's words.

"That _thing_ is your daughter."

"Well, I didn't asked for it. Hell- we didn't even had sex! I don't want her, Athena. Really, get rid of her or something, just don't make me carry this burden."

The scenery changed; Annabeth was now standing in the middle of a living room. The tiny girl had just got back from school and was carrying proudly a paper in her hands that had in red a big A letter inside a circle.

She had just closed the door and was walking to the living room, where his father was on the phone talking with someone. He had a smile on his face.

"Look, daddy!" she screamed. "I got an A."

The man covered the phone with his hand, looked at the paper she had unceremoniously shoved in front of his face and nodded. "That's good, Annie" was all he said before he was back on the phone.

Annabeth let the paper in the coffee table and walked to the bathroom, were she washed her hands and her face, full of tears. She looked into the mirror, and whispered: "Maybe if I get an A plus he will finally pay attention," the hope in her voice maybe it hard for the old Annabeth to breath. It was painful to see such a young girl so desperate for a little love. It broke her heart more to know he wasn't going to pay attention, no matter all the plus she could manage to get on an essay.

The vision -well, she guessed it was a vision, changed again to when she was a little older, about five; the year the twins were born.

She saw herself sitting in the old, red sofa they used to have. She had a book in her lap, and her long and wavy hair was all around the place.

The door opened, and she closed the book with a sigh. A man and a woman walked in, carrying each a tiny baby with blonde hair.

They walked past her as they went to the room that had turned into the twin's bedroom. Annabeth took a long breath, feeling more lonely now they were home than she felt before.

She saw herself as she grew a few inches, and her eyes became redder and dulled. She had turned six a few months ago, and she was pretending to read a book as she heard laughs coming from the kitchen. She was again laying in the old red sofa. A few superficial cuts could be seen around her legs and arms, but despite what one might thought, they weren't caused for playing around; they were from monsters that kept attacking her. She saw the girl as she took a deep breath, drying a few tears that had slip into her face with the sleeve of her sweater.

She went to grab the glass of limonade that was in the table in front of her, but due to her blurry vision she instead knocked it out, making a loud noise of breaking glass. All the laugh disappeared, and Frederick's face appeared in the kitchen door.

He saw the girl, who was shaking slightly, and then the glass shattered by her side. He took a long breath, and the older Annabeth was already shaking her head, trying to get out of the vision. She knew what was coming; she knew it was going to break her heart again if she heard her father say those words.

"She should have taken you back with her," he whispered, not noticing she could heard him. The tiny girl put the book in front of her to cover her face.

The vision changed, and now she was a few months older. She already knew what was coming.

It was dinner time, she could tell by the little light that went through the closed blinds. The girl was sitting in a chair eating quietly as everyone else talked and laughed. She kept glazing at the big clock that was hanging from one of the walls, like she was waiting for something to happen.

"Time for bed," the twins screamed in faked fear as his father grabbed them each and carried them upstairs, where their bedroom was. Her stepmother didn't gave her a second glade as she followed her husband.

She took a long breath, pushing her unfinished plate aside and jumping from the chair to grab a blue cupcake from the fridge. She knew she was going to get in trouble from doing it the following morning, but she just couldn't bring herself to care.

She sat down again in the chair and from her pocket she got a tiny stick she had found on her way back home that day. She put it in the middle of the cupcake and lit it with her father's lighter, that was always next to his wallet.

"Happy birthday," she whispered to herself, but she didn't blew the tiny stick she had lit up. The tears did it for her.

Her family had forgotten about her seventh birthday. With that, they were four years in a row not remembering her birthday.

She didn't even asked for a present. Though a new book would be cool, she didn't really mind if they got her nothing, even if the twins were showered with dumb presents each birthday. She only asked for them to remember, to say a sincere "Happy Birthday, Annie!" and maybe, if she was lucky, get a hug or two. Maybe her stepmother could act like she didn't hate her for those twenty-four hours. That would be cool.

She didn't ask for too much, just for something - _anything_ \- that would prove she was wanted.

That was what families did, right? She always saw it in the movies and heard her schoolmates talking about their cool moms and dads who always were there for them.

That's when a thought ran through her head.

_Were they really family?_

The older Annabeth tried not to cry, but seeing how lonely she looked, she couldn't help it. She was so sad back then, and was at that moment as well; the pain was the same.

She blinked, and she was standing inside the old cupboard. Her stepmother was screaming at her for eating the blue cupcake the night before, and she felt more than saw the slap she had given the child.

"Don't touch our food without asking first, Annie" she said right into her ear, and grabbing her by the hair, she threw her into the cupboard, closing it before the blonde kid could run away.

"Let me out!" she begged, scared of the darkness inside the room.

"You will stay there until my husband comes back."

The way she said it, claiming he was her husband and nothing for the child, only then stood out for Annabeth.

She screamed when she saw the first spider. She tried to wave her hands to scare it away, but before she could understand what was going on, a spider was crawling into her hair and others where bitting her.

She banged her hands into the door until they were brushed, continuously screaming for her stepmother to get her out of there.

A few hours later, right before her husband came home, the woman opened the cupboard and saw the girl lying in the ground crying, shaking hard. Spiders were still climbing her body and trying to bite her, but she had long ago given up on trying to stop them.

The light shone brighter than before, and suddenly she was watching herself shove a few clothes into a bag. As she put clothes inside, a sound of plastic told her there was also food inside she probably had sneaked out to get.

Annabeth knew what day it was: the day she ran away.

She smiled proudly to herself when she closed the bag. Her hands felt a little numb from repeatedly hitting the wooden door with them the previous day. That reminded her of the monsters she was going to face, and ran to the garage to look for his father's toolbox. She found it in the place he always put in and opened it to grab a shiny hammer from inside. Closing the box and putting it back into its place, she walked to her room again. The sun was about to rise any moment, but the girl had been up for the entire night. She couldn't shake the feeling of all those spiders around her, attacking her. Everytime she closed her eyes, they shot right open.

She couldn't sleep, at least not in that place. It wasn't home, Annabeth knew back then, because home means feeling safe and happy, and she could never feel such things in a place like that.

She put her bag around her shoulders and, even if it was summer, grabbed her warmest jacket and wrapped it around her waist. Taking a long, nostalgic look around her room and later, the entire house, she walked out of it knowing she would never be back.

Her hair was dirty and tangled the next time Annabeth saw the youngest version of herself. By the look on her face and the scratches around her body, she guessed she had been on the run for a couple of months already. She was trying to kill an ugly monster that was especially annoying, but then the monster turned into dust and a girl around eleven or twelve was staring down at her. She had short dark hair and blue eyes. Annabeth saw behind the girl another person, a blond boy that looked even older than the girl.

She gasped, running away from them, ignoring their calls. She ran until she was inside an alley; there, she hid behind a trash can and waited.

The blonde cursed to herself when she heard two pairs of steps running to where she was. She blinked and saw the same boy and girl from before, standing in front of her.

Annabeth stared at the boy, and couldn't help but notice his hair was just like hers, though his seem to be cleaner, and maybe a few shades darker. He had a kind smile on his face, like he was trying to make her feel comfortable.

"You are bad guys?" she asked, getting ready to slam her hammer in the boy's skull if it was needed. It wouldn't be the first time she had done something like that.

"We kill the bad guys," said the girl. "I'm Thalia, and this is Luke."

The boy smiled. Annabeth looked at his hair again and couldn't control her mouth before she said "Your hair is like mine."

The two older demigods smiled to each other. "Yeah," he said. "We have matching hair. That's cool."

Annabeth smiled, nodding. "It is cool. Bobby and Matthew have their hairs like mine, but they're stupid. You're not stupid, are you?"

Luke passed a hand through his hair. "No."

"Believe me, he is," said Thalia. "Who are Bobby and Matthew?"

"My half-brothers. They're twins, couple years younger than me," she changed the hammer from one hand to another. "Dad never paid attention because he was too busy with them. He didn't even noticed when his wife hit me or forced me to spend time with the spiders."

The duo exchanged concerned looks. "You mother hit you?"

" _Stepmother_ ," she clarified. "Only sometimes, when I didn't do things the way she wanted me to."

"Well, your stepmother can suck a di- okay, Luke, whatever. Screw her, you didn't deserve to be treated like that."

Annabeth genuinely smiled. "Is that a bad word, screw?"

"Not really. At least not with me," she blinked an eye at the kid.

"How long have you been out here?" in her seven years alive, she had never felt so much concern regarding her. It felt nice.

"A few months. It's starting to get cold and kids aren't around that much anymore so I guess it's past September. So, almost three months."

"Well, aren't you smart," commented Thalia, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling ashamed.

"You should never be sorry about it. Being intelligent is one of the best things in the world."

"Yeah. You could lent this girl over there a few braincells. She's running low on them, you see."

Annabeth laughed, even if she wasn't completely sure what a braincell was. She just liked hearing them talking, it made her think of how she always imagined parents would act around each other.

"Oh, Castellan, you did _not_."

"So," Luke tried to change the subject before Thalia hit him. "Why did you run away?"

"I wasn't wanted there. They didn't even remember my birthday," she blinked away the tears, not wanting to look like a weak little girl on front of those cool, older guys.

"Not even a cake?" asked Luke hopeful.

"Not even a Happy Birthday."

Thalia whispered something under her breath that sounded like son of a beach, but Annabeth didn't knew what the sea could have to do with all that.

"So, what's your name? You already know ours, I think it's fair," the boy asked, keeping his distance still.

She thought for a moment, stopping herself from answering ' _Annie_ ', what her family always called her. Instead, she said "Annabeth."

"A name of a true warrior," said Thalia, looking proud.

"But a warrior can't use a weapon that can't kill enemies," Luke got his bag from behind his back and searched inside. "Aha," he said, and got a bronze dagger out. He showed it to the girl. "Only the smartest and bravest fighters use a dagger," he said, catching the girl's full attention. "For you."

"For me? Really?"

He nodded his head. "I promise I won't let you down like our families did."

And, as she grabbed the dagger, smiling so big her cheeks were hurting, she missed the slight glow that surrounded the dagger the moment both put their hands on it.

The promise was made, and the promise would be broken.

A flash of light changed the scenery again. Annabeth looked around, knowing in seconds she was standing in one of the many refuge the three created while on the run.

On the floor, a slight older Annabeth than the last memory was curled up in a sleeping bag. She was shaking due to the sound of the storm that was raging outside. Thalia sat down beside her, running her hand through her hair the way only she knew how to to calm her down.

"What's wrong, love?" the black haired girl asked, concerned.

"Lay with me?" she asked. They only had two sleeping bags, so Annabeth always sleep with one of them.

"Of course, kiddo," after a few minutes of waggling around, Thalia had the little girl lying on her chest.

"I hate thunders," the blond confesed, already falling asleep from the warmth the older girl gave off.

"They're just the gods bowling," said Thalia.

Annabeth laughed, happy to know she had a big sister that would always take care of her. She fell asleep laying in Thalia's chest, not concerned at all by the storm outside, or anything at all.

" _Thalia_!" Annabeth heard a smaller version of herself screaming. They were in a hill, and she knew what it meant. She saw the girl lying in the ground, her hands beginning to turn into rots. "Thalia!" she screamed again, Luke and Grover struggling to hold her back. "Let me out! Thalia!"

The boys didn't let go of her. Grover ran to let Chiron know what had happened, and Luke took the girl into his arms and rested her head in his chest. "She's gone," he whispered, tears running down his face. He stared at the sky, mentally cursing the gods for what they had allowed to happen. " _She's gone, Beth_."

Annabeth was twelve, and was sitting in a chair in the infirmary. A twelve years old Percy was lying in one of the beds, looking sick.

Luke was gone, too. Luke had attacked Percy. Luke had betrayed the camp. He had betrayed _her_.

She stood up, ignoring Chiron calling after her with concern in his voice, or the way Percy didn't wanted to look her in the eye. She ignored everything, and ran to Thalia's three. She laid there, like she always did the first years she was in Camp Half-blood, and started crying, wishing Thalia was there to solve everything. But Thalia wasn't there, she was dead. And so was Luke, at least the Luke she knew.

She fell asleep there that night, and Chiron found her a few hours later. He took a long breath and carried her back into her cabin. A single tear ran down the centaur's face when he saw the girl.

Too much pain in so little time.

He walked, remembering all those nights he had done the same. Annabeth couldn't sleep without knowing Luke or Thalia were there with her, and since Luke wasn't there anymore, she had ran to Thalia like she always did, excepting the big sister she never had to solve every problem. But not even if Thalia came back, could she solve this. Not even her jokes and hugs could. Luke had betrayed her, and nothing could ever take that pain away.

The same boy of her memories was older, around twenty-four years old. He had a yellow eye, and a cruel smile on his face.

"Family, Luke," she said, remembering all those times she thought Thalia, Luke and her would be together forever, no matter what. " _You promised_."

Kronos wasn't staring at her anymore. Luke, the same guy who had a weird obsession over old music and dark chocolate, was looking at her.

"Family..." he whispered.

Suddenly the boy was stabbing his arm with her dagger, and the pain in her chest only grew bigger.

She couldn't save him.

She was sixteen the next moment Annabeth looked at the vision of herself. She was screaming at her father, god knows why, and he was screaming back at her. Then, he slapped her in the face. The hit was so sudden Annabeth didn't have time to react before she was lying on the floor. Her lip was bleeding, and the left side of her face felt numb.

The man's eye grew big, staring at his own hand, that was still open. He looked at the girl, regret swimming in his eyes.

Annabeth didn't even botter to whip out the blood, instead she let it fall so her father could see what he had done. She hurried to her bedroom, where her still packed bag was lying in the bed. She quickly grabbed it, taking a quick look around the room to make sure she hadn't miss anything. She walked downstairs and completely ignored her father calling back for her. She ran, until she was standing by Percy's house. Her father had moved in to a new, bigger apartment in New York so he could see Annabeth more often.

He wouldn't anymore.

She walked away from the door a couple of times, knowing there was no real reason for her to be there. Percy wasn't even home, he was staying in Camp Half-Blood during the weekend because Chiron needed his help with some new campers. He would have called Annabeth, but she had just left the previous day to see her father. She knew it wasn't appropriate to appear in the doorstep when she hadn't been invited, but she pushed all those thoughts aside and rang the bell.

Sally opened it in a few seconds, and gasped when she saw the girl. Her lower lip was slip, and blood was still coming out of it. The grey shirt Annabeth was wearing was stained with dry blood.

"I'm sorry," she said, a little sloppy. "I- I shouldn't have come. Sorry for bothering you."

Annabeth didn't manage to take a step back before Sally was grabbing the bag from her shoulder and dragging her inside. "You're always welcome here, Annabeth," the woman said softly, not realising how much those words had affected her. " _You're family_ , dear." Annabeth's lips trembled, but she didn't cry. Instead, she nodded her head and let Sally guide her to the sofa, where she sat as the woman went to grab the first aid kit. "A monster?" she asked, sitting in the coffee table in front of the sofa to start treating the wound.

"Kind of," she said, bitterly. "My father."

Sally dropped her hand and stared into her eyes, a look so intense and mysterious Annabeth didn't knew what she was thinking or feeling.

"Your father did this to you?" she asked, and Annabeth looked at her hands resting in her lap so she wouldn't have to feel her stare for another second.

"Yes."

"Oh, dear," Sally whispered, her heart breaking for the girl in front of her. Annabeth always looked like a strong girl to the woman, but seeing her so broken made her realise she was just a scared teenager who needed someone to take care of her, like parents are supposed to do.

"I'm sorry," she apologised, though she didn't really knew why.

"You don't have to be, baby," her voice was soft, and Annabeth could only guess that was the voice mothers used on their newborns. "I'm going to cure that before it gets infected, and then you're going to have dinner and rest for the night. I'll I.M. Percy tomorrow morning so he can come pick you up."

Annabeth shook her head. "Don't tell Percy about- about this, or that I was here, please."

Sally furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"

"I don't want him to know. Not him, or Chiron. They would look at me..."

She didn't finish the sentence, but Sally didnt need her to do. She knew what it meant; she didn't wanted people to feel pity for her.

The woman wanted to tell her it was okay, that Percy and Chiron -or anyone really- would not look at her differently, but she decided a few words wouldn't magically change years and years of pain.

Instead, she nodded her head. "Paul and I will drop you off tomorrow."

Annabeth opened her eyes bigger. "I forgot about Paul. I- I'm so sorry, I really shouldn't be here," she tried to get up, but Sally pushed her back into the couch.

"Paul isn't coming home in a few hours, but I know he isn't going to mind. And if he does, then I'm kicking his butt. You're part of the family, Annabeth, you're not bothering us."

Annabeth nodded, feeling too exhausted to even fight back. She just sat there and let Sally cure her lip. Then, she took a shower and put on one of Percy's shirts. She sat down to have dinner with the couple and for the first time, she was included in the conversation. She slept in Percy's bed, and the following day they took her to Camp Half-blood. They didn't mentioned anything because Sally knew it would make the girl uncomfortable, and Paul was really just trying to understand the girl sitting in the backseat of his Prius, that looked to strong yet so fragile at the same time.

They said goodbye but didn't said anything else about the situation, and Annabeth was thankful for her boyfriend's family. _Her family_.

When she walked through the barriers on Camp Half-blood, she saw herself standing by a door. It opened after a few moments, and Annabeth felt her chest hurt over the imagine of the woman in front of her.

May Castellan, Luke's mother, stood by the door. She smiled, opening her arms, and Annabeth took no time to step inside and hug the woman. She was short, so the blonde had to bend down.

"Oh, Beth!" she screamed when she let go, and the younger woman closed the door. May put a hand on her chest, smiling. "Hello, my dear. How long as it been? So, so long..." she walked to the kitchen, grabbing the burnt cookies with a smile. "How is your brother doing?"

Annabeth sat down in the sofa, and spoke as she got all the medicaments and food out of the bag she had carried with her. "Luke's good, mom," she said, ignoring the burning feeling in her eyes.

"I miss him a lot, dear," said May, putting the cookies in the table and sitting next to the blonde. "I hope he visits soon."

"He will," she lied. "He said he misses your cookies a lot. You know Luke, he's really passionate about doing a good job, and now he works for Chiron at camp, he wants to prove himself."

May put the plate in her lap, grabbed a cookie and offered it to Annabeth. She grabbed it and took a bite out of it, despite how bad it tasted.

"I hope he's not working too hard. My poor boy, always pushing himself..."

Annabeth nodded. "You know me. I'd never let him-" she pretended she had to cough, and dried some of her tears. "I'd never let him work too hard."

May smiled, putting again her hands in the girl's cheeks. "Thank god he has such a good sister."

"Yeah..." she avoided her eyes, stormy as ever. Annabeth left her half eaten cookie in her lap and grabbed a few pill bottles. "The doctor said you have to take those for your cold until you're no longer constipated, and this ones for your heart," she put both in her shaky hands. "I've made you some food, in case you feel weak to make it."

May wiped a tear from the side of her face. "Thank god I have you, Beth."

"It's okay, mom," she said, trying hard not to cry. Her heart hurt for the woman in front of her. "I'm making dinner tonight, okay?"

"You're staying over?" when she nodded, May's face completely lit up. "I'm going to fix Luke's room so you sleep there."

Annabeth gently pushed her down onto the sofa. "It's okay, I'll do it after diner. What do you want to eat tonight?"

The moment Annabeth stepped outside the living room and into the kitchen, the vision changed to a few months prior. Her mother -the roman version of her, was speaking with her.

She didn't hear the conversation. She could see they were arguing, but she couldn't make out the words they were saying, until she heard her mother's voice.

"You've _failed_ me. You're no daughter of mine."

The vision went back to the start. She was seeing a baby version of herself in her mother's arms, and she screamed. She finally broke down. Annabeth, still on her knees on the floor, started crying, begging Katamyaló to end with those memories. They were painful, more painful than anything in the world.

Just like that, Annabeth was on her knees in the island they were stranded at. It took her a while to realise what was happening and why they were there, but when she did, she searched for the other six demigods, who were all looking at her with tears in their eyes.

They haven't- had Katamyaló showed them her worst memories?

"What will you do when they leave?" was the first thing the daughter of the titans said.

She hated how the monster frased that question, because she knew deep down they'd end up leaving, just like everyone else before them. All the people she cared about had only ever done that. If they didn't leave, they gave her reasons to leave instead. There was no ' _if_ ' in it, not in a life as cursed as hers; it was all only a matter of time. That's why she always hated meeting new people; getting her hopes up just to see them shatter as they crash down was something she had done too many time already. That's all her father ever did: he'd take opportunities and would laugh, not caring about any piece of trust she had given away and simply took them for granted.

"Stop," she begged. Her voice cracked and she sat down on the floor, tears streaming down her face. She put both hands on her face, crying like a little baby when you take away their pacifier.

"Annabeth..." Percy was the one who was moving the most, struggling against the invisible ties, fighting against everything that was keeping him away from conforming his girlfriend.

"Shut up," her voice came muffled from behind her hands. "I just need a moment, don't worry."

" _A moment_?" Katamyaló laughed. "Don't be ridiculous, Annie."

That made her tense completely. She got her face out of her hands and looked at the person in front of her, the one who had caused all of this.

" _Don't_ call me that," she got up and took Riptide from Percy's still hand.

"Why, Annie?" for a moment, Annabeth blinked and saw her stepmother standing in front of her. She saw the same cold eyes filled with hatred, the same cynical smile dancing on her face daring her to do something about the teasing.

She put both hands around the handle, as she wasn't used to fighting with a long weapon. But that was going to be her chosen weapon, because she had thrown hers away earlier. She didn't say anything else, instead just ran straight to the girl. Annabeth knew already she was going to dodge to the side, as she had done that just before. She kept walking until she had reached her dagger. Grabbing it, she faced the girl with now two weapons.

Katamyaló looked concerned for being outsmarted, but got over it quickly as she waved her hand and raised the girl up, smashing her into a rock. Annabeth fell to the ground, not moving.

"You think you're so smart, don't you? Thinking you could defend me in my own land, wise girl?" Percy struggled harder, and looked like he had freed a hand. Katamyaló walked to the blonde until she was by her side. She grabbed her by the hair and forced her to look into her brown eyes. "Your father was right, you know? You really shouldn't have been born." Annabeth, who looked barely conscious, clapped the sword again and Percy felt it appear in his pocket. "We're really alike, you and I. Your mother hates you just as much as she hates me, or everything that might mean a threat to her power. Athena is a cruel, heartless woman. But together, we could _kill_ her," she whispered right into her ear. "You're intelligent, you could help me get out of this place, and I could help you seak the revenge you want."

"I don't want revenge," she managed to let out.

"Of course you do," Katamyaló smirked. "I've seen it in your brain. You want to make them pay for what they've done to you. I can help you get them back."

"Fuck you," Annabeth said.

The smirk disappeared from her face. She let go of her head, making it fall into the hard floor. She moaned in pain, feeling her vision blurry. "I think you haven't seen how cruel the world has been to you yet," she connected eyes with hers, and Annabeth shook her head.

Her vision began to white out, and she saw the same visions the monster had shown her before. She was shaking her head, begging her to stop, screaming out for someone to help her get out of there. It was a full circle: everytime she heard her mother's cruels words, it went back to hearing her father begging Athena to take her back or get rid of her.

When she was starting to see the same vision of her baby self for the third time, she was back to the real world. In front of her was standing Percy. The air was surrounded by monster dust.

"Annabeth," he whispered, dropping Riptide to the ground so he could embrace the girl.

"Careful," all the other demigods could finally move again. Hazel was shaking hard against Frank's chest, tears streaming down her face, and Annabeth tried to understand why she was crying. Jason was the one talking. "Maybe you shouldn't move her too much."

The blonde tried to ask why she was crying, but then she noticed everyone around her was doing so as well. Percy held her against him, as careful as he could.

"Am I... Am I _dying_?" She questioned against Percy's shirt.

"No, wise girl," he whispered against her hair. "You're not."

"Then why... are you crying?" she stumbled on her words, feeling dizzy.

"Because we saw it," whispered Percy, crying. Annabeth tried to get away from him. "Don't worry, Annabeth, baby. It's okay."

"No, it's not," the blonde looked like she was about to have a panic attack. Her chest was raising faster and faster, and her hands were trying to push Percy away. "Let me go. I don't want it."

Everyone was still shaken from what they had seen, and they missed what Annabeth meant.

"We don't feel pitty. I promise," Percy whispered in her ear.

"Let me go. Please, I need to breath," she pushed Percy away and got up, ignoring the dizziness from the sudden move. She took long, deep breaths, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"Are you okay?" asked Piper, eyes red. Annabeth didn't knew if she was asking about her head or her heart, but she knew the answer to both wasn't exactly positive.

"Yes," she gave her a small smile, and leaned onto Percy once she accepted the dizziness wasn't going away anytime soon.

"We need to go back," declared Percy, his nose a little runny. He didn't give Annabeth a second to nod before he was carrying her in his arms, bridal style. The girl didn't even struggle; she didn't have the strength to do so. She was so emotionally and physically tired she simply laid her head in his chest and closed her eyes.

The walk back to the boat was quiet and tense. Everyone seem lost in thought, constantly going back through all the things they saw.

Jason now saw her in a complete different light. She looked up to Thalia as a big sister, just like he did. She had lost her just like he did, she just happened to bottle things up until its boiling point. But with those memories, seeing how she was only a kid that needed some love and validation, he could see they were pretty similar, despite everything.

"Is she sleeping?" Leo asked.

"I think the word's unconscious, but yes."

He nodded. "I can't believe she..."

Percy stopped walking. "She _what_ , Valdez? Watch your mouth."

"I was going to say, you idiot, that I can't believe she went through all that."

Percy took a long breath, and started walking again. "I'm sorry, Leo, it's just..." he looked at her.

"I understand. You don't have to explain anything," he said, giving him a small smile.

Of course, Leo knew what was going on through Percy's mind. Everyone knew. They hadn't been around the couple for too long, but from the way he broke through an invisible force that was holding him down just to help Annabeth, they knew the blonde meant a lot to the boy. Seeing the way he was holding her at that moment, each minute taking a look around and then at her to make sure she was okay and safe, it wasn't hard to know the boy was protective of her.

Piper still looked a little shook from the entire experience, but she finally spoke. "When it's her birthday?"

"Twelve of July."

"I'm making the biggest cake in the world on the twelve of July," she promised.

"And I'm going to force Nico to bring us as many architecture books as he can find," said Hazel, a fierce look in her eyes.

"I'm lighting up the candles," added Leo.

"No, you're not," the blond boy said.

"What? _Why_?"

"You will burn down the entire boat."

"I can..." Frank stopped talking. "What should I do?"

"Just a happy birthday would do the trick, Frank," said Percy. "Really, just remember."

The boy looked offended by that. "Of course I'll remember!"

"And even if you didn't" said Piper, "the whole boat will be decorated. You won't be able to miss it."

Percy smiled, thankful that his girlfriend finally had people that genuinely cared for her. She had those demigods that, after the events from that day, would always understand the way she acted, and would always take care of her. She finally had what she had been seaking for all her life. The smile on his face only grew bigger.

Annabeth Chase finally had a family, a real one.


End file.
